LakeClan
by Blazingstar of ThunderClan
Summary: "I know that this is what StarClan have told us to do, but... it's scary. And what if they're wrong?" Yarrowpaw asked, finally meeting his gaze. Silently, Swiftclaw brushed his nose over her ear; then, softly, he replied, "We have to have faith in them. And don't worry - whatever happens, I'll protect you." -Full Summary Inside-
1. Prologue & Allegiances

**A/N: This story was posted under a different account before, but I've now moved it to this one. The chapters will each be posted as soon as possible. **

**The prologue is at the bottom, beneath the allegiances; feel free to skip down to it. :) Please don't forget to leave a quick review. **

**Disclaimer: I'm only going to say this once - I do not own Warriors; I'm simply using the concept of it to write my own story. **

Full summary ~

When a large pack of dogs is unleashed upon the Clans, chaos strikes. Cats are killed and terribly wounded, and the Clans don't know what to do - these dogs are large and daring, and there are just too many of them. Then, certain cats from each Clan receive a message from StarClan - that the only way the Clans will survive is to join as one and face the threat together, however they need to... whether it's by running away or facing the threat head-on.

But although they know that they _need_ to band together, the Clans are having trouble adjusting to being allies. They need to learn to trust each other, or else risk more cats getting hurt.

But once they _do_ trust each other, more problems arise... a growing fondness of one another; strong friendships, forbidden loves - it seems that there are problems in all situations. What'll happen when the Clans are past this problem, and separated once again?

How will they change along the way, who will be lost, and just how much will they sacrifice?

Will the Clans ever be the same again?

* * *

ALLEGIANCES

.

**THUNDERCLAN**

Leader: **Fadedstar** - black she-cat with "faded" gray tabby stripes, deep blue eyes and a fluffy tail

Deputy: **Palestripe** - pale gray tabby tom with jet-black tabby stripes, white paws, and green eyes

_Apprentice, Ravenpaw_

Medicine Cat: **Morningsky** - pretty white she-cat with golden patches and amber eyes (Mother: Meadowpath; Siblings: Lilyspots and Darkstrike)

_Apprentice, Amberpaw_

Warriors:

**Blackfrost** - pure black tom with green eyes (Mate: Lilyspots)

**Swanfur** - white she-cat with green eyes and a black patch on her muzzle (Kit: Snowtiger)

**Volefur** - dark brown tom with a white underbelly (Sibling: Hawk-eye)

**Hawk-eye **- large brown tabby tom with bright yellow eyes (Sibling: Volefur; Mate: Dawnheart; Kits: Sunkit and Bearkit)

**Featherpool** - thick-furred, fluffy brown she-cat with sharp amber eyes

_Apprentice, Stormypaw_

**Wolfclaw** - dark gray tom with a darker gray forehead and belly, and stunning green eyes (Sibling: Emberlight)

**Emberlight** - ginger she-cat with specks of gray; stunning green eyes (Sibling: Wolfclaw)

**Snowtiger** - pretty short-furred white she-cat with black tabby stripes and blue eyes (Mother: Swanfur)

**Larkshadow** - beautiful tawny she-cat with a darker brown underbelly and paws, and icy blue eyes (Mate: Jaggedstorm; Kit: Ravenpaw)

**Jaggedstorm** - handsome dark brown tom with pale blue eyes (Mate: Larkshadow; Kit: Ravenpaw)

**Lilyspots** - brown she-cat with white splashes and green eyes (Mate: Blackfrost; Mother: Meadowpath; Siblings: Morningsky and Darkstrike)

**Darkstrike** - white tom with a black muzzle, paws, and tail-tip (Mother: Meadowpath; Siblings: Morningsky and Lilyspots)

Apprentices:

**Amberpaw** - long-haired tortoiseshell she-cat with large amber eyes

**Ravenpaw** - light black she-cat with a light brown stripe down her spine and bright blue-green eyes

**Stormypaw** - dark gray-and-white she-cat with blue eyes

Queens:

**Dawnheart** - light ginger she-cat with green eyes (mother of Hawk-eye's kits: Sunkit and Bearkit; also nursing Evekit and Flickkit)

**Amberleaf** - light brown tabby she-cat with a darker brown underbelly and bright green eyes (Kit: Fawnkit)

Kits:

**Evekit** - black she-cat with a golden strike across her left side, blue eyes, and three claw scars over her right eye

**Flickkit** - white tom with a black tail-tip and paws, and emerald eyes

**Sunkit** - light ginger tom with bright yellow eyes

**Bearkit** - large brown tabby tom with green eyes

**Fawnkit** - light brown tabby she-cat with a darker brown underbelly and green eyes

Elders:

**Blueclaw** - dark blue-gray she-cat with matted and shaggy fur; misty-blue eyes

**Meadowpath** - pale tabby she-cat with blue eyes and a muzzle gray with age (Kits: Morningsky, Lilyspots, and Darkstrike)

**Sharptalon** - ragged black tom with a graying muzzle and green eyes

.

**WINDCLAN**

Leader: **Fallowstar** - large pale brown tom (Mate: Robinwing; Kits: Sparrowpaw and Firepaw)

Deputy: **Goldenwillow** - lithe golden tabby she-cat

_Apprentice, Firepaw_

Medicine Cat: **Ravenpool** - black she-cat with amber eyes

Warriors:

******Grayclaw** - long-haired gray tom with yellow eyes

******Robinwing** - pretty, pale ginger she-cat with yellow eyes (Mate: Fallowstar; Kits: Sparrowpaw and Firepaw)

**Lionstep** - golden tabby tom (Mate: Silverlight; Kits: Lightningpaw and Frostpaw)

_Apprentice, Snowpaw_

**Whiteclaw** - pure white tom with yellow eyes (Mate: Breezeflower; Kit: Snowpaw)

_Apprentice, Sparrowpaw_

**Breezeflower** - tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes (Mate: Whiteclaw; Kit: Snowpaw)

_Apprentice, Frostpaw_

**Silverlight** - pretty gray she-cat with three white paws (Sibling: Rockpelt; Mate: Lionstep; Kits: Lightningpaw and Frostpaw)

**********Rockpelt **- pale gray tabby tom (Sibling: Silverlight; Mate: Leafheart; Kits: Oakkit, Stormkit, Pebblekit, and Nightkit)

_Apprentice, Lightningpaw_

******Frozenfang** - white-gray tom with black-tipped ears (Mate: Mossflower; Kits: Hailkit and Ivykit)

**Swiftclaw** - ginger-and-black tom with pale yellow eyes

**Clawfire** - gray she-cat with a white muzzle and green eyes (Mate: Whitestripe)

**Whitestripe** - black tom with blue eyes and a white stripe along his spine (Mate: Clawfire)

**Poppytail** - cream-furred she-cat with dark brown spots, and a white underbelly, paws, and tail-tip; icy blue eyes (Parents: Silentcloud and Treefoot)

**Willowbreeze** - light gray she-cat with a darker gray tail, muzzle, ears, and paws; pale blue eyes (Sibling: Stonetooth of RiverClan)

Apprentices:

**Sparrowpaw** - light brown tabby she-cat

**Firepaw** - pale ginger tom with blue eyes

**Snowpaw** - pure white tom with green eyes

**Lightningpaw** - golden tom with three white paws

**Frostpaw** - pure silver she-cat

Queens:

**Mossflower** - fluffy gray she-cat with black tabby stripes and blue eyes (mother of Frozenfang's kits: Hailkit and Ivykit; also nursing Yarrowkit)

**Leafheart** - beautiful brown she-cat with black splotches (mother of Rockpelt's kits: Oakkit, Stormkit, Pebblekit, and Nightkit)

Kits:

**Hailkit** - white-gray tom with yellow eyes

**Ivykit** - pure black she-cat with blue eyes

**Yarrowkit** - fluffy white she-cat with leaf-green eyes

**Oakkit** - brown tabby she-cat with bright green eyes

**Stormkit** - gray tom with black splotches

**Pebblekit** - gray tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

**Nightkit** - black tom with yellow eyes

Elders:

**Silentcloud** - light cream she-cat with green eyes (Mate: Treefoot; Kit: Poppytail)

**Treefoot** - large brown tom with blue eyes (Mate: Silentcloud; Kit: Poppytail)

.

**RIVERCLAN**

Leader: **Whitestar** - pure white tom with golden eyes

Deputy: **Foxfoot** - brown tabby tom with ice-blue eyes

Medicine Cat: **Hawkstream** - a dark brown tabby tom with splashes of white and gold, and golden eyes (Parents: Honey-eyes and Darkwater; Sibling: Lilypad)

_Apprentice, Tawnyleaf_

Warriors:

**Beeflight** - fluffy golden tabby she-cat with green eyes (Kit: Dovebreeze)

**Dewfur** - silvery-blue she-cat with sky-blue eyes (Sibling: Streamflower)

**Hollystream** - pitch-black she-cat with green eyes (Mate: Blackpelt)

**Spottedclaw** - large brown tom with black spots

**Blackpelt** - blackish-gray tom with a light gray tail-tip and paws; ice-blue eyes (Mate: Hollystream)

_Apprentice, Rainpaw_

**Stormcloud** - dark gray tabby tom (Mate: Mossystream; Kits: Pebblekit, Brookkit, and Sweetkit)

**Lilypad** - a light brown tabby she-cat green eyes, white paws, and a long feathery tail (Parents: Honey-eyes and Darkwater; Sibling: Hawkstream)

**Grayheart** - long-furred silvery-gray tom with amber eyes

**Dovebreeze** - fluffy gray tabby she-cat with three white paws, a white belly, and a white chest, and light blue eyes (Mother: Beeflight)

**Stonetooth** - long-haired dark gray tom with one lighter gray paw, and pale blue eyes (Sibling: Willowbreeze of WindClan)

**Riverfur** - blue-gray tom with green eyes (Mate: Streamflower)

**Streamflower** - short-furred cream-and-brown she-cat with luxurious blue eyes (Sibling: Dewfur; Mate: Riverfur)

**Hazesky** - pale gray-brown she-cat with dull green eyes

Apprentices:

******Tawnyleaf** - tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes (Sibling: Hazesky; apprentice to the medicine cat)

**Rainpaw** - gray she-cat with white flecks

Queens:

**Mossystream** - tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes (Mate: Stormcloud; Kits: Pebblekit, Brookkit, and Sweetkit)

Kits:

**Pebblekit** - dark gray tabby tom with blue eyes

**Brookkit** - light gray tabby she-cat with blue eyes

**Sweetkit** - light brown tabby she-cat with a white tail-tip, chest, and paws, and green eyes

Elders:

**Darkwater** - a dark gray, almost black, she-cat with light gray patches and gray eyes (Mate: Honey-eyes; Kits: Lilypad and Hawkstream)

**Honey-eyes** - a light brown she-cat with golden honey eyes; her right ear is missing (Mate: Darkwater; Kits: Lilypad and Hawkstream)

.

**SHADOWCLAN**

Leader: **Pinestar** - dark brown tabby she-cat with white patches, white ears, and dark green eyes (Mother: Sandyleaf)

Deputy: **Lionfrost** - large, long-furred, silvery-white tom with patches of reddish-gold tabby; pale, icy green eyes (Mate: Icerain)

_Apprentice, Twilightpaw_

Medicine Cat: **Sunflower** - bright yellow she-cat with black ears, white paws, and chocolate-brown eyes

_Apprentice, Goldenspots_

Warriors:

**Ratfang** - mottled brown tom

_Apprentice, Shadepaw_

**Talonfoot** - large russet-furred tom with dark brown eyes (Mate: Daylily; Kits: Hollowkit and Hawthornkit)

**Icerain** - pale gray tabby she-cat with piercing blue-green eyes (Mate: Lionfrost)

_Apprentice, Scarpaw_

**Foxclaw** - large ginger tom with one blue eye and one green eye

**Silverclaw** - handsome silver tabby tom with very deep amber eyes

**Sootblaze -** dark gray tabby tom with a dash of white on his chest (Mate: Nightfeather; Kits: Twilightpaw and Shadepaw)

**Nightleaf **- pure black she-cat with white paws (Mate: Sootblaze; Kits: Twilightpaw and Shadepaw)

_Apprentice, Moonpaw_

**Rosethorn** - pale golden she-cat with icy blue eyes

**Robinfeather** - handsome light brown tabby tom with a white underbelly and amber eyes

**Grazyhaze** - handsome, large, heavyset blue-gray tom with thick fur and dark blue eyes

**Flamewing** - pretty, dark ginger she-cat with a black chest, paws, and ears, and silver eyes

**Darkstone** - muscularly lean black tom with green eyes

**Emberclaw** - short-haired dark russet she-cat with white ear-tips and deep green eyes

**Wingtail** - pure white she-cat with emerald eyes

Apprentices:

**Goldenspots** - a white tom with golden patches, markings, and spots (apprentice to the medicine cat)

**Twilightpaw** - dark gray tom with a dash of white on his chest

**Shadepaw** - pretty black she-cat with one white paw

**Scarpaw** - dark ginger tabby tom with one thick black stripe along each of his shoulder blades, and a black slash across his face that looks like a scar

**Moonpaw** - silver she-cat with yellow eyes

Queens:

**Daylily** - pretty calico she-cat with soft gray eyes (Mate: Talonfoot; Kits: Hollowkit and Hawthornkit)

Kits:

**Hollowkit** - dark brown tabby tom with rainy blue eyes and a very short tail

**Hawthornkit** - fluffy, very pale ginger tabby she-cat with silvery blue eyes

Elders:

**Sandyleaf** - sand-colored she-cat with green eyes, blind in one eye (Kit: Pinestar)

**Toadshadow** - brown tabby tom with a graying muzzle and pale amber eyes

* * *

Prologue

You look into her eyes, and they're so filled with grief, sadness, and fear that you wish you can tell her that everything is going to be all right – but the thing is, you've never lied to her before, and you're not sure if those words would be entirely truthful.

So, wordlessly, you lay down beside her, your pelt brushing against hers. She snuggles closer to you, burying her face in your side, and you gently stroke her flank with your tail as you feel her beginning to cry, her hot tears wetting your fur. Without thinking about it, you run your tongue over her ears, wanting nothing more than to comfort her.

And suddenly, the realization hits you hard – you care about her more than you've ever cared about any cat before.

You've never really known what love is. Having no littermates, and growing up without either of your parents, you've never really been very close to anybody. Of course, you've had friends, who you've become close to and grown to care about dearly... but you didn't feel the same way about them as you do about her - you care about her almost more than you do about yourself.

More than that - not only do you care about her, but you _adore_ her. You've never adored any cat before, but you adore everything about her.

You've always been complete in yourself; you've never felt that you really _needed_ anybody. But you need her.

You can't imagine living without her - she makes your life complete.

She's beautiful, she's stunning...

She's your everything.

You love her.

And suddenly, you're surprised that you didn't realize this sooner.

After a few minutes that seem like forever, she lifts her head, and beautiful green eyes shimmering with tears meet yours.

"…Are we going to be okay?" she whispers. "Are we all going to die?"

You've never seen her so broken.

Leaning forward, you gently brush your cheek against hers.

"_Nothing_ is going to happen to you. Not if I can help it," you say quietly.

And you've never spoken truer words.


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: For those of you that have read these first few chapters before, please note that I've gone back and corrected some mistakes, as well as changed a few small things. **

Chapter 1

"ShadowClan warriors on our territory!"

"WindClan, attack!"

Yarrowkit shrieked as a black tom launched himself at her, playfully attempting to wrestle her to the ground; but she wasn't going down without a fight. In a furry mass of black and white, the two struggled for a few moments before, finally, Yarrowkit came out on bottom, the black tom above her grinning triumphantly.

"You're pinned!" Nightkit mewed smugly, his yellow eyes bright.

Yarrowkit purred back, "But WindClan hasn't won the battle yet!"

Beside them, other kits were still wrestling. Just a couple tail-lengths away, Oakkit and Ivykit were struggling with one another, but neither could seem to get the upperpaw; and, a little further away, both Stormkit and Pebblekit were closing in on Hailkit.

"Two-on-one?" Hailkit was saying, regarding the two cats ready to leap at him with a playful light in his yellow eyes. "How is that fair?"

"What's wrong?" Pebblekit teased. "Can't take the both of us?"

Hailkit purred, "Yeah, right!" before launching himself at Stormkit.

"Hey!" Pebblekit squealed, jumping into the scuffle with the two toms.

Glancing back over at Oakkit and Ivykit, Yarrowkit could see that Ivykit now had the advantage, and soon had Oakkit pinned beneath her.

"You're down," Ivykit mewed, satisfied, at the younger brown she-cat.

Oakkit simply grinned, breathing heavily, obviously winded. The brown tabby she-cat was a good fighter, but so was Ivykit.

Ivykit glanced over at Nightkit and grinned before bounding over and tackling him, and the two black cats fell in a struggling ball of dark fur. It didn't take too long for Nightkit to end up pinned; Yarrowkit was amused by how effectively being beaten wiped the smug expression off the tom's face. Looking back at the last scuffle, Yarrowkit wasn't surprised to see both Stormkit and Pebblekit on the ground, Hailkit standing over them triumphantly. It was never too difficult to beat Hailkit in a race, but the white-gray tom easily gained the upperpaw in playfights.

"ShadowClan wins!" Hailkit announced.

Yarrowkit, Oakkit, Stormkit, Pebblekit, and Nightkit all picked themselves up off the ground at the words that signaled the end of their game. It was a favorite among them, the game that they'd invented: to play as two separate groups, one group being WindClan and the other often being ShadowClan; it was always three against four, due to their uneven numbers. The objective of the game was simple: after all the cats in one team had been pinned down, the other team won. They simply called the game Battle.

"That was fun," Stormkit mewed, as good-natured as ever.

"We'll win next time," Nightkit promised, his tone slightly sour.

The seven kits - two separate groups of littermates, Hailkit, Ivykit, and Yarrowkit being the older ones, while Oakkit, Stormkit, Pebblekit, and Nightkit were younger by about a moon and a half - had all been up since before dawn. Now, it was almost sunhigh, and they were in front of the entrance to the WindClan nursery.

"Hey!" a voice called. The kits turned to see a slim white tom bounding over to them, his green eyes bright and excited.

"Hi, Snowpaw," Hailkit mewed.

"Hi," Snowpaw meowed, sounding slightly breathless as he greeted all of them. "You three," he said, looking down at Hailkit, Ivykit, and Yarrowkit. He wasn't very much older than them; he'd only been training for two moons. "I just overheard Fallowstar talking - he said that he's going to make you apprentices today!"

"What? Today?" Yarrowkit mewed, suddenly excited.

Snowpaw nodded. "You guys should get ready." He was smiling. "I can't believe you're finally going to be apprentices! It'll be fun, sharing a den. Plus, Firepaw and Sparrowpaw are going to become warriors soon, so it shouldn't be too crowded for very long."

Yarrowkit barely heard the white tom's words - it was so close to sunhigh, the ceremony would probably start within minutes. The three now-excited kits quickly began grooming their pelts, which were particularly ruffled after their playfighting.

"But it'll be boring in the nursery without you three," Pebblekit complained.

Stormkit gave his sister a comforting lick on her ear. "It'll only be for a moon; then we'll join them in the apprentice den," he mewed to the gray she-cat.

"Yeah; and who are you calling _boring_?" Oakkit sniffed, pretending to be offended.

Snowpaw purred in amusement at Oakkit's words, his green eyes softer than usual for a moment.

Just then, Mossflower emerged from the nursery. The beautiful queen, her fluffy gray pelt striked through with dark black tabby stripes, padded up to the group of young cats. "What are you up to?" she asked pleasantly.

"We're going to be made apprentices today," Hailkit meowed proudly, licking a paw and running it over his ear.

"Really?" Mossflower purred, sounding surprised. "That's great! Oh, but you three are filthy!" She promptly set to grooming Ivykit, who ducked away from the queen's tongue.

"_Mom_," the black she-cat complained. "I can wash myself."

"I'm your mother," the queen scolded. "I have as much right to wash you as you do."

Ivykit conceded, although she didn't seem very pleased about it.

Just as Yarrowkit was finishing grooming herself, she noticed Fallowstar emerging from his den. The large, pale brown tom gracefully padded his way to beneath Highledge, then spoke in his strong voice: "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

The cats of WindClan quickly began to gather: Goldenwillow, the WindClan deputy, was the first to arrive, followed closely by Robinwing, Silverlight, and Swiftclaw. Soon after them came Grayclaw, Lionstep, Whiteclaw, and Breezeflower; then came Firepaw and Lightningpaw from the apprentice den - Snowpaw offered a smile and a "good luck" to Mossflower's kits before padding over to join the two toms. Sparrowpaw and Frostpaw, the last of the apprentices, followed after Snowpaw, while Ravenpool, the medicine cat, sat at the entrance of her den to watch. The warriors Rockpelt, Frozenfang, Clawfire, Whitestripe, Poppytail, and Willowbreeze also took their places among the audience, while Silentcloud and Treefoot, the only two elders, sat at the entrance of their den to watch the meeting commence. Within only a couple of minutes, everybody had gathered.

All the kits stayed where they were, and Mossflower stayed by their side.

Fallowstar spoke again, "Today, three of our kits have reached the age of six moons, and are ready to become apprentices."

Yarrowkit could feel her paws itching with excitement; she had looked forward to this for moons.

"Hailkit, Ivykit, and Yarrowkit, please come forward."

"Go on," Mossflower encouraged the three nervous and excited kits.

The three kits made their way forward, while Mossflower padded over to sit beside Frozenfang, her kits' father.

Yarrowkit felt tiny under the stares of all her Clanmates as she and her siblings came to a stop before Fallowstar; she had to look up to stare into the Clan leader's eyes. However, she felt slightly better when she noticed the warmth that was there.

"Today, you three are ready to begin your training," the tom spoke, loud enough for all the cats in the Clan to hear. "Hailkit, please come forward."

With eagerness prominent in his yellow eyes, the grayish-white tom stepped forward.

"From this moment until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Hailpaw." Looking over toward his mate, the leader said, "Robinwing, you were trained well as an apprentice, and you trained Rockpelt into the fine warrior he is today. You will be mentor to Hailpaw; I trust that you'll train him well."

Grinning happily, Hailpaw touched noses with Fallowstar, then went over to touch noses with Robinwing.

"Hailpaw! Hailpaw!" the Clan began to cheer, welcoming the new apprentice.

"Ivykit." Ivykit stepped forward. "From this moment until you receive your full warrior name, you will be known as Ivypaw." Glancing over toward the warrior Silverlight, he said, "Silverlight, you are a great warrior - few can match your prowress in battle. I trust you will be a good mentor to Ivypaw."

Ivypaw touched noses with the WindClan leader; she wasn't as bouncy as Hailpaw, but happiness shone in her blue eyes as she padded over to touch noses with her new mentor, Silverlight.

"Ivypaw! Ivypaw!" the Clan cheered.

Fallowstar fixed his eyes upon the last kit. "Yarrowkit." The white she-cat stepped forward, wishing that her siblings were still by her side. "From this moment until you become a warrior and receive your full name, you will be known as Yarrowpaw." Looking over at Swiftclaw, he meowed, "Swiftclaw, you are still quite young, having been made a warrior only four moons ago, but I feel that you're ready for your first apprentice. You will be mentor to Yarrowpaw."

Excited, Yarrowpaw touched noses with Fallowstar, then padded over to touch noses with her new mentor.

Swiftclaw was a lithe but sturdy tom, black fur spotted with patches of ginger, and yellow eyes that were shining with friendliness as she approached him.

"Hi," she mewed as she came up to him. She couldn't recall ever speaking to this tom, but he seemed strangely familiar.

"Hello, Yarrowpaw," he meowed back, his tone open and friendly. He leaned down and they touched noses.

"Yarrowpaw! Yarrowpaw!" the Clan cheered.

"Let's welcome all three of these new apprentices to WindClan!" Fallowstar meowed.

"Hailpaw! Ivypaw! Yarrowpaw! Hailpaw! Ivypaw! Yarrowpaw!" the Clan cheered.

With the ceremony over, the group began to disperse, resuming their activities. Goldenwillow was now beginning to organize the sunhigh patrols.

Yarrowpaw turned to her mentor. "What are we going to do first?" she asked excitedly.

He purred. "Let's see... how about we go explore the territory?"

.

**A/N: The beginning is always hardest to write, don't you think? Whenever I begin writing a story, it takes me several tries to come up with a beginning that I'm happy with. **

**Anyway, what do you think so far? :) Tell me what was good, but also tell me what I can improve on. I know this chapter was a bit short, and not very much happened in it, but I don't want too much going on just yet. I want you to get to know the characters better before the real plot begins. **

**Please review - they inspire me to write more! :) I've also decided to start responding to every review that I get, so if you review, you can expect a response from me, even if you're anonymous. I only got one review for the last chapter - thank you, CupcakeNinja918 - but I'm hoping for a few more this time... So, review! :) Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Yarrowpaw loved the feeling of the slight breeze stirring her fur as she walked through WindClan territory for the first time. It was just past sunhigh now, and the sun continued to shine brightly, managing to break through the thick layer of large, rolling white-gray clouds that also hung in the sky. The newly-named apprentice inhaled, drinking in all the scents that came with the territory, scents that she recalled often clinging to the pelts of warriors as they came back into camp from patrols. Before her, a butterfly fluttered, coming to a rest upon a nearby patch of purple heather that was budding with new flowers.

It was so _beautiful_ out here.

She didn't even stop to think about any of the possible dangers that also came with being outside the camp; she felt safe with Swiftclaw.

A rustle sounded in the bracken nearby - a moment later, a small white animal came darting out just tail-lengths away from her, only to quickly disappear among the plants again.

"Was that a rabbit?" Yarrowpaw breathed. She'd never seen one alive before.

Swiftclaw nodded. "You don't know how great it is, to have them just running around like that; leaf-bare was hard. There was hardly any prey - just rain, snow, and greencough. Every cat was lucky if they didn't go to bed with an empty belly, or if they didn't get sick."

"Are you glad it's newleaf now?" Yarrowpaw mewed.

Swiftclaw purred. "Definitely. It's still a bit cold now, but not nearly as cold as it was a few moons ago." He paused. "Do you smell that?"

Yarrowpaw parted her jaws to take in the smell - it was faintly familiar, and she'd never smelled it so strong before, but it was a pleasant smell. It didn't smell as good as heather, but she liked it. "Yeah, I smell that - what is it?"

"ShadowClan," Swiftclaw meowed. "We're close to their border right now."

Yarrowpaw froze in surprise. "Really? It actually smells kind of good. I always thought ShadowClan would smell gross."

The young warrior purred. "That's the pine that you smell - some cats do think that it's gross, but I like it, too. Their territory is filled with pine trees, and the ground is always covered with pine needles."

"Have you ever been inside ShadowClan territory?" Yarrowpaw asked curiously.

"Only once, during a battle," he told her. "I've been along the border a lot, though; I even took my warrior asessment not too far from here... Y'know, the day of my asessment - that was the day that we found you."

Yarrowpaw blinked. Of course, she knew that Mossflower and Frozenfang weren't her real parents, and that Hailpaw and Ivypaw weren't actually her littermates... but, she was treated so much like family that she sometimes forgot. She'd been calling Mossflower her mother for as long as she could remember; she'd nursed alongside Hailpaw and Ivypaw ever since she was two moons old; and Frozenfang loved her and treated her like she was his own, even calling her his daughter. They _were_ her family - just not by blood.

The fact that they weren't her real relatives was evident in the darkness of all their pelts, and the contrasting bright white of hers; the fact that their eyes were all either a dark yellow or a deep blue, and that hers were a bright, vibrant green. She'd never known her real family, and probably never would.

After a moment, she asked curiously, "Who was it that found me?"

"Me."

She cocked her head to the side in surprise. "Really?"

He nodded, a slight purr erupting in his throat. "Like I said, it was the day of my warrior asessment - I was still just an apprentice. I was hunting - I'd already caught two mice, but I wanted to catch a rabbit, too, to impress Goldenwillow; she was my mentor. Anyway, after a while, I heard a rustle nearby - thinking that it was a rabbit, I began to stalk towards it. Only when it mewled did I realize that it was something else - rabbits don't mewl."

He looked back, caught her eye and grinned. "I walked up to it, and realized that it was a kit - you. It was small, probably only about two moons old, with fluffy white fur; it looked at me with the brightest green eyes I've ever seen, and mewled again. Remember, it was still leaf-bare at this time, and the day was cold; not only that, but for some reason, your fur was damp - I was instantly afraid that you would be sick with greencough, but you were fine. You couldn't have been out there for very long." He continued, "I called Goldenwillow over, and she said she could tell from your scent that you weren't from any of the other Clans - so, we took you back to camp with us, and Fallowstar said you were welcome in the Clan. We gave you to Mossflower, who was already nursing two two-moon-old kits, and that was that."

"Wow," Yarrowpaw mewed. "I didn't know that _you_ were the one that found me! It's funny, I even thought that you seemed familiar earlier..."

Swiftclaw purred in amusement.

"So, what ever happened with your warrior asessment?" Yarrowpaw mewed.

"Oh, I passed it. I guess finding you made up for not finding a rabbit - I was made a warrior that day," he meowed. "Right after the ceremony, Mossflower called me into the nursery."

"For what?"

"Well, Fallowstar had said that Mossflower had the right to name you, since she would be your mother... But, Mossflower said that it was _my_ right to name you, since I was the one who found you."

Yarrowpaw blinked, surprised again. "So you named me Yarrowkit? Why?"

He turned his head to meet her gaze. "I don't think you've ever seen yarrow flowers before, have you?" He paused for a short moment. "They're beautiful... Your fur reminded me of white yarrow flowers, so I named you Yarrowkit." Before the white she-cat could respond, he meowed, "Now, do you smell _that_?"

Yarrowpaw parted her jaws, and immediately, the scent hit her. She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"I know," Swiftclaw sympathized; she realized that he'd been watching to see her reaction. "We're along the RiverClan border now; that sour smell comes from fish. RiverClan are the only Clan that can swim, and the only Clan that eats fish."

"Who would want to eat something that smells that bad?" Yarrowpaw asked, her nose still wrinkled.

Swiftclaw purred, but shrugged. "All the Clans have their own unique prey that they eat - RiverClan has fish; ThunderClan has squirrels; ShadowClan has frogs; and we have rabbits."

"Oh."

He met her gaze, his yellow eyes sparkling with amusement. "Wow, no more questions?" he teased.

Yarrowpaw felt her pelt flush with embarrassment. She hadn't been asking _that_ many questions, had she?

"I'm only kidding," Swiftclaw meowed, giving her a gentle nudge. "It's good to ask questions - when I became an apprentice, I think I almost drove Goldenwillow crazy with all the things I asked." While Yarrowpaw purred with amusement, he continued, "Well, now that we're done exploring the territory - "

"We're done?" Yarrowpaw interjected. "What about the ThunderClan border?"

"ThunderClan is on the other side of the lake," he told her. "We don't share a border with them; only RiverClan and ShadowClan. You'll meet ThunderClan when we go to the Gathering tomorrow."

"Oh. Okay. So, what are we going to do now?"

He thought for a moment. "Come on," he meowed, seeming to make a decision.

They were currently still along the RiverClan border. The land around them was mostly flat, but as they padded on, the land sharply rose and then smoothly rolled back down, and then a thick, gurgling stream was visible about two-tree lengths ahead.

"That stream marks our border with RiverClan," Swiftclaw informed.

Yarrowpaw couldn't help but wonder what they were doing here, but didn't ask. She felt her fur begin to prickle at the sight of the water. The stream was about three fox-lengths thick, and not incredibly fast, but fast enough that a kit or small apprentice would be swept away by it. The current shone white where the sun reflected off of its surface, and she couldn't tell how deep it was.

Only then, looking at the rushing body of water, did she realize how much the thought of drowning truly terrified her.

A tail lightly brushed over her back; as she felt her fur smooth down, she realized just how much it had been bristling. She also realized that she'd stopped in her tracks.

"Hey, are you okay?" her mentor asked, sounding concerned.

Brought back to her senses, Yarrowpaw nodded, tearing her eyes away from the stream. "Water," she stated simply, her voice slightly strained.

"Oh, don't worry," he assured her. "We're not going near the water - _that's_ what we're here for." He gestured with his tail toward a large bed of moss about five tail-lengths away from the stream. "We're going to collect moss for the elders' bedding before we head back to camp."

Somewhat warily following him as he padded forward, she took a seat beside him as he sat before the bed of moss. She was well aware of the gurgling stream behind them.

"Now, to do this," he said, "you just scrape with your claws to tear the moss off, like this." He demonstrated as he spoke, dipping his paw down, claws unsheathed, to neatly cut a piece of moss from the bed. "Then, put it down on the ground, squeeze the water out of it, and put the dried moss on the side so that it's ready for you to take it when we're done."

Following his demonstration, Yarrowpaw sliced a piece of moss from the green bed. It came out ragged and uneven, with brown on the bottom of one half. She looked up at Swiftclaw with a slightly sheepish expression on her face.

"It's okay," he meowed. "I'd be surprised if you got it perfectly the first time. Here." He took her piece of moss, sliced off the brown roots on its underside, and then gave it back to her to squeeze the water from it. "The good thing about gathering moss is that, although it may be boring, it teaches you how to use your claws. All cats are clumsy when they start, but with more practice, you'll become more skillfull with your claws to cut the moss better, which helps with battle skills, too." As she finished drying her moss and placing it to the side, he said, "Try it again."

Her second time around, she came up with slightly better results. It wasn't exactly good yet, but it was better.

"Good job," Swiftclaw praised. "Now, come on, let's gather some more and then head back to camp. It's starting to get dark."

XxXx

Yarrowpaw's legs were beginning to ache with weariness from her long day as she padded back into the WindClan camp, moss in her jaws, Swiftclaw before her. Mostly everybody was now returning to camp from their day's activites; the sky was now yellow-orange with the setting sun. There were quite a few cats now eating by the fresh-kill pile, mostly in pairs or groups of three.

"What do I do with this?" Yarrowpaw mewed around her mouthful of moss.

"Give it to me," Swiftclaw told her. "I'll have one of the other apprentices change the elder's bedding; you've worked hard enough today. Go ahead and get something to eat from the fresh-kill pile."

Giving up her moss and dipping her head in respect to her mentor, mumbling a quick "thank you", Yarrowpaw then padded over to the fresh-kill pile. She selected a small rabbit from the top, then smiled as she noticed Hailpaw and Ivypaw already eating a few tail-lengths away.

Ivypaw looked up and grinned warmly as she noticed Yarrowpaw approaching them. "Hi, Yarrowpaw," she mewed.

"How was your first day?" Hailpaw asked, his tone as cheery as always as Yarrowpaw sat beside Ivypaw, white fur brushing against black. "Mine was great! Robinwing took me out for battle training with Goldenwillow and Firepaw, and Rockpelt and Lightningpaw. Lightningpaw's about as arrogant as you can get, but it was still fun - you should've seen him sulking when I managed to beat him after just a couple tries." He purred. "What about you; what did you do?" He leaned down to take a bite of the large rabbit he was sharing with Ivypaw.

Swallowing a bite of her own rabbit, Yarrowpaw mewed, "My day was good - Swiftclaw took me out to explore the camp, and taught me stuff about the different Clans. Then we went to the edge of the RiverClan border, to collect moss for the elders' bedding - " her heart spluttered for a second as she recalled the rushing water of the stream " - and then we headed back here. We talked quite a bit, about a lot of different things; I learned a lot." Glancing at her sister, Yarowpaw asked, "What about you, Ivypaw?"

"Silverlight taught me how to hunt," Ivypaw mewed. "We went out with Breezeflower and Frostpaw - Frostpaw's a great hunter, and she's really nice. But it turns out hunting is exhausting," she said, letting out a small purr of amusement. Only then did Yarrowpaw realize that Ivypaw's weariness was evident in the slightly glazed look of her blue eyes. "Chasing after rabbits - it takes a lot out of you. Even though all I managed to catch was one rabbit and a mouse, I had a lot of fun. I like Frostpaw."

"It's so cool that we're finally apprentices. And I can't wait to go to the Gathering tomorrow," Hailpaw meowed; a massive yawn then ripped its way through the white-gray tom. Finished with his meal, he pushed the rest of the rabbit toward Ivypaw, then let out a contented sigh as he stretched. "I'm tired, though. I'm ready for sleep."

"Me too," Yarrowpaw mewed, also finished with her rabbit.

The only agreement that Ivypaw gave was a small yawn and a nod.

The three siblings tiredly began to head toward the apprentice den, only to be intercepted just before its entrance.

"Hello, you three," Frozenfang, their father, purred, giving them each an affectionate lick over the ear. "Going to bed already, are you? Did you all have a good time on your first day?"

Yarrowpaw and Hailpaw simply nodded, while Ivypaw mewed, "Yes."

"Good," the white-gray warrior meowed. "Well, goodnight, my kits."

Mossflower padded to her mate's side just then, and affectionately nuzzled muzzles with all three of the apprentices. "Goodnight, you three," she meowed.

_It really does feel like they're my real parents_, Yarrowpaw thought. _I couldn't imagine having parents better than them. The same goes for Hailpaw and Ivypaw - I couldn't ask for better siblings. _

After saying their "goodnight"s, the three apprentices made their way into their new den, where a couple other apprentices were also beginning to settle down to sleep. Snowpaw directed them to their new nests in one corner of the den. The three siblings curled up in their nests, Hailpaw in one, Yarrowpaw in another, and Ivypaw between them, laying close enough to share warmth; yet Yarrowpaw couldn't help but wish that they had Mossflower's warmth to share, as well.

Exhausted from her eventful day, Yarrowpaw quickly fell asleep. Her dreams were filled with purple heather, mewling rabbits, and rushing water.

.

**A/N: How'd ****you like it? :) There'll be more things happening next chapter. But, for now, tell me who your favorite character is so far, tell me w****hat you liked about this chapter and what you didn't, tell me your favorite part of this chapter... **

**In other words: please don't forget to review - and, thank you, GinnyStar, for reviewing on the last chapter. **

**Reviews make me happy, and a happy me tends to be inspired to update more quickly. ;)**


	4. Chapter 3

**Anonymous Review Replies **

**Thank you, fallenstar, for your review on the last chapter. I really appreciate it. :) And it's good that Yarrowpaw and Swiftclaw are your favorite characters, because you'll be seeing a lot more of them.**

Chapter 3

The sun was shining brightly in the cloudless sky as Yarrowpaw darted forward, raking her paw down Snowpaw's side as she passed him; then, claws still sheathed, she came back and darted at the white tom again, quickly slashing at his other side three more times before darting away once more.

"Good job, Yarrowpaw," Swiftclaw praised. "It's easy when your opponents stand still for you to attack them - but now, let's try it with both of you moving."

Yarrowpaw, breathing hard, glanced over and caught Snowpaw's eye - he grinned at her before they both ran at each other. Yarrowpaw attempted to rake her paw down the tom's side again, but he dodged, then swooped in and slashed down her side with one paw, before darting out again. Yarrowpaw's eyes narrowed in concentration; this time, she allowed Snowpaw to come back and attack her first - she barely managed to dodge, then batted at his side three times before darting away. At least, she _attempted_ to dart away - Snowpaw was right on her tail, and raked his paw down her side twice before his paw swooped down as he tried to hook one paw around hers to unbalance her. She saw the move, however - and, quickly lifting the paw he was trying to unbalance her on, she caught him off-guard and managed to bat at him four times, then dart in the other direction, trying to come back and slash at his opposite side a few more times. However, he was ready - he dodged and then slashed at her once before he used a paw to unbalance two of hers, sending her falling to the ground.

Yarrowpaw was breathing hard as she stood back up, her paws still tingling from the thrill that came with fighting, even if it was only practice; she was pleased to see that Snowpaw's fur was ruffled from the attacks she'd landed on him. She glanced over at Swiftclaw, pride washing over her when she saw that he looked very pleased, grinning and giving a nod when she caught his eye.

"That was very good, you two," Lionstep, who was Snowpaw's mentor, meowed approvingly from where he was sitting next to Swiftclaw. "You're both natural fighters."

The four of them - Swiftclaw and Yarrowpaw, Lionstep and Snowpaw - had been out battle-training since dawn. It was now just past sunhigh, and so far, Yarrowpaw had enjoyed every minute of the training: unlike some she-cats, fighting thrilled her, and she wanted to become as good at it as she could to defend her Clan.

"But I think that's enough battle-training for today," Lionstep continued, the sun lighting up his golden tabby pelt. "How about we go hunting?"

Swiftclaw nodded. "Alright, let's go."

Slightly disappointed that the training had ended, Yarrowpaw followed as Lionstep began to lead the way toward better hunting ground. Swiftclaw followed behind the golden tom, while Snowpaw went to pad at Yarrowpaw's side.

"Y'know, you're really good at fighting," Snowpaw told her, his green eyes bright and friendly.

Yarrowpaw let out a slight purr. "So are you."

Snowpaw grinned. "Thanks; but seriously, was that your first time battle training?"

"Yeah."

"It sure didn't seem like it," he meowed. "I still remember when we were both in the nursery - it was so easy to pin you down whenever we played Battle."

"Well, I didn't know anything back then. And I was only, what, three or four moons old back then?" Yarrowpaw mewed with a purr at the memory.

"Oh, yeah," Snowpaw meowed, purring as well. "Well, I'm gonna go talk to Lionstep." With a friendly grin, he trotted forward to his mentor's side.

Yarrowpaw did the same, bounding forward a few paces to join Swiftclaw. "Hi," she mewed.

"Hi," the young warrior purred at her. "You did very well during battle training just now - you're going to be a great warrior one day."

"Oh - thank you," Yarrowpaw mewed, feeling her fur heat up at the unexpected praise. Turning her head away, she mewed, "I wonder if I'll be as good at hunting, though."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Swiftclaw assured her.

"Snowpaw will probably be better, though."

She was surprised when Swiftclaw turned his head to meet her gaze, his yellow eyes glinting mischieviously. "Probably not, actually," he said in a low voice, still purring. "I've seen Snowpaw hunt before - and although he may be exceptionally skilled at fighting, he's very clumsy when it comes to hunting."

"Really?" Yarrowpaw mewed, surprised.

Swiftclaw nodded. "Just don't take any hunting tips from him, okay?"

She broke into a purr at her mentor's humor. "Okay," she agreed, an amused smile on her face. She glanced over at Swiftclaw to see that he was still grinning.

"Alright," Lionstep said just then, coming to a stop. "Snowpaw and I are going to go hunt a few tree-lengths away; Swiftclaw, let's meet up at the Heather Patch right around the beginning of sunset, okay? That should give you plenty of time to train Yarrowpaw and then hunt."

Swiftclaw dipped his head. "Alright."

Lionstep nodded, then he and Snowpaw trotted away to hunt, leaving Swiftclaw and Yarrowpaw by themselves.

"Okay, first..." Swiftclaw meowed, "do you know where we are?"

Yarrowpaw parted her jaws. She couldn't scent anything other than heather, rabbits, and the usual smells of WindClan; there wasn't a trace of scent from the other Clans. "Um, in the middle of our territory?" she mewed. "Not along any borders?"

He nodded approvingly. "Good. It's always best to know where you are and what's around you before you begin hunting, so you won't accidentally get too close to any dangers - or borders." He continued, "Have you ever seen a hunting crouch?"

She shook her head.

"Okay... get down, like this." He crouched down, belly low but not touching the ground, his tail straight out behind him.

Yarrowpaw mimicked him, feeling slightly clumsy. Even with her actual belly not touching the ground, her fluffy belly fur brushed against it, and she couldn't keep her tail straight out like he could.

"That's not bad," he meowed, "but pick your belly up just a bit more - yes, like that. And put your tail just a little bit lower - good. Now, I want you to try and stalk forward."

Feeling a bit awkward, the young she-cat took a few steps.

"Hold on," Swiftclaw meowed patiently. "The key thing to do when hunting is to keep your steps light and quiet. And you don't have to be so stiff - stalking is a natural thing that cats do; loosen up a bit. Watch me again..."

He dropped into a crouch beside her, and slowly, gracefully stalked forward, the sun shining faintly on his dark pelt; she could barely hear his light pawsteps. She also noticed that he wasn't tensed up, like she felt.

The black-and-ginger tom stopped and looked back at her. "Try it again."

Letting her muscles relax a bit, Yarrowpaw stalked forward once more, being careful to keep her steps light.

"Good," Swiftclaw meowed approvingly. "You're still a bit tense, but you're better. How about we try actually hunting now?" His yellow eyes sparkled.

Yarrowpaw grinned and nodded, feeling more confident now. "Okay."

"Now, listen," he instructed. "What do you hear?"

Yarrowpaw perked her ears. She could hear herself breathing; she could hear the faint song of a bird not too far away; she could just barely hear the light whistling of the breeze that was currently stirring her pelt; and, she could hear a faint rustling about four fox-lengths away.

She glanced at the young warrior and met his gaze. "I think I hear a rabbit not too far from here," she mewed quietly.

He nodded. "Good. Go for it."

Not feeling entirely sure of herself, Yarrowpaw began to stalk toward the rustling, while Swiftclaw hung back. After she had gone a few tail-lengths, the sound became louder - it was definitely a rabbit, judging by all the noise it was making. It was soon visible up ahead: a ball of white fur. She stalked more slowly now, careful to be quiet and remember everything Swiftclaw had told her - but as she got closer, she was going mostly on instinct. She was about two tail-lengths away, almost ready to pounce, when one of her paws came down on a twig and snapped it, alerting the rabbit. The small white animal darted away - she quickly bounded after it, and as she did so, a mouse also scurried out from the bracken, startled by all the noise. Realizing that the rabbit was too quick for her to catch, she changed course and went for the mouse instead, managing to trap it beneath a paw and then instinctively giving it the death bite to its neck.

At first, she was almost startled by her actions - Swiftclaw hadn't told her anything about biting the animal's neck to kill it. However, within the next moment, pride washed over her. Her first kill!

Lifting her head, she saw Swiftclaw padding towards her, a rabbit hanging from his jaws.

"Good job!" he meowed. "You almost had this rabbit, you know. I figured I'd get it for you."

Yarrowpaw looked at him in surprise. "How did you catch it? It was so fast!"

The tom shrugged. "They don't call me _Swift_claw for nothing," he teased, grinning. "Now, let's see what else we can catch - we need to meet up with Snowpaw and Lionstep soon."

XxXx

"So, what's the Heather Patch?" Yarrowpaw mumbled around the two mice hanging from her jaws.

Dropping his two small rabbits and plump mouse for a moment in order to talk, Swiftclaw said, "The largest patch of heather in WindClan territory," then picked his prey back up and continued to walk.

Indeed, the Heather Patch _was_ large - about ten tail-lengths wide and ten tail-lengths thick. Lionstep and Snowpaw were already waiting when the two arrived - Lionstep, carrying a rabbit, a small bird and a mouse, nodded before leading the way back to camp, with Snowpaw, a plump mouse in his jaws, padding at the golden tom's side.

When the four cats entered the WindClan camp, sunset had fallen over the territory. They all placed their prey on the fresh-kill pile, which was now stocked. Dipping her head to Swiftclaw, Yarrowpaw picked up a rabbit from the pile, then wearily padded over to eat beside Snowpaw - they were both too tired to chat very much.

The two were soon joined by Hailpaw and Frostpaw.

"Hi," Frostpaw mewed as she and Hailpaw sat across from Snowpaw and Yarrowpaw.

"Hi," the two white cats both greeted.

Hailpaw seemed even more cheery than usual. "I can't wait for the Gathering tonight," he meowed as he bit into his mouse.

"Oh, I forgot about that!" Yarrowpaw mewed, suddenly feeling excited despite her tiredness.

"It'll be a lot of fun," Frostpaw mewed happily. "I'll have to introduce you to a few of my friends from the other Clans."

"I thought having friends from other Clans was forbidden?" Ivypaw asked as she and Sparrowpaw, a pretty, light brown tabby she-cat, joined the group.

"No, it isn't," Sparrowpaw answered for her. "Just as long as you don't get... y'know, _too_ close to them."

Firepaw, Sparrowpaw's brother, and Lightningpaw, Frostpaw's brother, were the last to join the circle of apprentices.

"My best friend from outside of WindClan," Lightningpaw meowed as he sat down, "is Scarpaw - I hope he's there today."

"That is, if Fallowstar even _allows_ for you to go," Ivypaw cut in, her black fur bristling slightly. "After what you did earlier."

"What'd he do?" Yarrowpaw mewed, surprised by the thick dislike in her sister's tone as she addressed the golden tom.

"He pushed me into the stream on the RiverClan border," Ivypaw growled.

"You know it was funny," Lightningpaw said smoothly, taking a bite of his rabbit. A strong feeling of dislike suddenly rose within Yarrowpaw; she glanced over at Hailpaw, and saw that he was now glaring at the golden tom, as protective as he always was over his sisters.

Ivypaw retorted, "And _you_ know it was funny when I pulled you in with me, and you started yowling like a kit for Rockpelt to save you."

"Ouch," Snowpaw threw in, with a wink at Ivypaw; he was obviously on her side.

Lightningpaw's golden fur bristled. "Shut up," he snapped, rising onto his paws and glaring at the black she-cat.

"Why don't you make me?" she challenged, her blue eyes glinting as she also stood.

Yarrowpaw's fur bristled. She'd seen Ivypaw angry before, but never like this.

The two apprentices were now on their paws, glaring hotly as each other, pelts bristling, hackles raised. Neither made a move to fight, but the tension was growing with each second.

Firepaw quickly interceded. "Oh, sit down, both of you," he snapped, his voice full of authority. "Don't forget that you're from the same Clan - and if you fight right now, then _neither_ of you will be allowed to go the Gathering." The way he spoke, Yarrowpaw was reminded that he and Sparrowpaw were the oldest of all the apprentices, almost ready to become warriors.

Lightningpaw and Ivypaw glanced at each other, both seeming slightly sheepish as they sat back down; luckily, nobody outside of the group of apprentices seemed to have noticed the almost-fight. Yarrowpaw breathed a sigh of relief; fighting may be thrilling to her, but that didn't mean she liked to see two cats hurt each other, especially not her sister and some stupid tom.

Conversation slowly started up among the apprentices again; in the midst of it, she heard Frostpaw mew quietly to Ivypaw, "Sorry about Lightningpaw - he can be a real jerk at times, but he can be very caring and nice, too."

"Yeah, sure," Ivypaw grumbled, still slightly upset.

Frostpaw purred, playfully nudging the black she-cat. "Y'know, maybe he pushed you into the stream because he likes you," she teased.

An appalled expression overcame Ivypaw's face; Frostpaw laughed, and Yarrowpaw felt her own whiskers twitching in amusement.

Just a couple minutes after the white she-cat had finished up with her rabbit and then fallen into easy conversation with Sparrowpaw, Fallowstar called from the Highledge, "Time for the Gathering!"

All the cats in the clearing were immediately at attention, almost all conversations ceasing to hear who would be attending.

"These are the cats who will be attending the Gathering with Goldenwillow, Ravenpool and I: Robinwing, Hailpaw, Lionstep, Snowpaw, Breezeflower, Frostpaw, Silverlight, Ivypaw, Rockpelt, Swiftclaw, Yarrowpaw, Mossflower, and Whitestripe."

At her name, Yarrowpaw scrambled to her paws, excited. Hailpaw and Ivypaw were at her side in a moment, along with Snowpaw and Frostpaw.

"See you guys later," Firepaw meowed.

"Have fun," Sparrowpaw mewed.

"Are you _serious_? I don't get to go?" Lightningpaw complained.

Yarrowpaw's whiskers twitched when she noticed Ivypaw throw a smirk at the golden tom.

Together, the five apprentices excitedly bounded over to the entrance of the camp, where everybody was gathering.

"All right, everybody ready?" Fallowstar meowed after about a minute or so. "Well then, let's go!"

The WindClan leader led the group out of the camp, into a steady trot through their territory. It was almost moonhigh now, and the white-silver full moon shone brightly in the sky. Yarrowpaw thought it felt great to be out this late at night; there was a strong breeze blowing now, and she loved the coldness of it as it stirred her fluffy white fur.

"I love being out here this late!" she mewed happily to Ivypaw.

Ivypaw smiled. "So do I," she replied. The moon was shining off the she-cat's black pelt, turning it a soft white-silver.

"We're almost at the tree-bridge!" Fallowstar called up ahead.

Suddenly, the group broke into a fast run. Yarrowpaw tried to run faster to keep up, but her legs burned, and soon Ivypaw and the rest of the apprentices were a couple tail-lengths ahead of her.

_I don't have WindClan blood._ The thought suddenly flew through her mind.

Hailpaw glanced back at his sister; even though he wasn't the fastest cat in WindClan, he was ahead of her. "C'mon, Yarrowpaw!" he meowed.

"Don't worry about me," Yarrowpaw panted.

Hailpaw looked concerned, but turned and continued running, as she had asked.

Suddenly, Swiftclaw was at her side.

"Are you okay, Yarrowpaw?" he asked, falling into step beside her. They really didn't call him _Swift_claw for nothing - he was running so easily, so effortlessly. He was a true WindClan cat.

Yarrowpaw nodded. "I'm fine," she breathed.

"You sure don't seem like it," he objected. "Slow down a bit - it won't do any good to strain yourself."

Sighing, she did as he asked, slowing down until her legs burned a bit less, and she could breathe a bit more easily; she quickly fell five tail-lengths behind the rest of the group. Swiftclaw stayed by her side.

Finally, the group came trotting to a stop. Yarrowpaw huffed in frustration and stopped about two tail-lengths behind everyone else, her legs still aching.

"What's wrong?" Swiftclaw meowed.

"I don't have WindClan blood," she mumbled without thinking.

He met her eyes. "So what if you don't?"

The white she-cat looked away. "I'll never be a real WindClan cat - I couldn't catch that rabbit earlier today, and right now I couldn't even keep up with the group! WindClan cats are_ fast_. But I'm not. How will I ever be a good warrior if I'm slower than everybody else?"

Swiftclaw was simply quiet for a moment; then, surprise ran through Yarrowpaw as he leaned down and licked her between her ears. She felt her face flush with embarrassment.

"Even if you don't have WindClan blood," he meowed quietly, "and you're not as fast as other WindClan cats, you're still faster than the cats from the other Clans. And trust me, you don't need an incredible amount of speed to be a good warrior." She glanced up and met his gaze; his yellow eyes were earnest and soft. "Don't you remember how amazingly you fought today? You could hold your own quite well against Snowpaw, in your first training session - and he's been training for two moons already!" He purred when a small smile formed on her face. "Everybody has their strengths and weaknesses, Yarrowpaw. Don't be sad just because you're a bit slower than the rest of us."

Touched, yet feeling strangely sheepish, Yarrowpaw ducked her head. "Thank you," she mumbled.

He purred. "Don't mention it."

Eager to change the subject, she mewed, "So, what are we doing here? Why did we stop?"

"We're about to enter the clearing where the Gathering will be held," Swiftclaw meowed. "But first, we need to go over the tree-bridge that will get us onto the island."

Yarrowpaw padded forward a few paces until she was standing just behind Frostpaw, and squinted her eyes in an effort to see up ahead; indeed, she could now see the tree-bridge just about two fox-lengths away. It was a large, fallen-over log, beneath which a stream gurgled, about six fox-lengths wide and a bit faster than the one on the RiverClan border. The water was dark beneath the moonlight, and shone a soft silver in places.

Yarrowpaw's pelt prickled at the sight of it.

She could see that most of the cats had already crossed as she and Swiftclaw had talked; now, only Whitestripe and Frostpaw remained in front of her and Swiftclaw. As she watched, Whitestripe leaped up and quickly began to cross the huge log.

Her throat suddenly feeling dry, Yarrowpaw turned to her mentor. "I - I don't know if I can do this."

Overhearing her, Frostpaw turned before Swiftclaw could reply. "Don't worry," the silver she-cat mewed comfortingly, touching her nose to the white she-cat's ear. "I was a bit scared crossing for the first time, too, but it's really not hard at all. You just have to keep your claws out to get a good grip on the log - watch me."

The moment Whitestripe crossed and jumped down on the opposite side, Frostpaw leaped up, claws unsheathed. Landing neatly on top of the log, which was about two tail-lengths high, the apprentice proceeded to cross at a slow trot, then land out of sight on the other side. She made it look simple, easy even - but Yarrowpaw's pelt was still prickled.

"Your turn," Swiftclaw meowed.

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**A/N: Now, in case you haven't noticed, I've changed the Clan cats' lands just a bit for this story; the Clans still live by the lake, but I've switched their territories around (who shares a border with who), as well as created a few landmarks that aren't in the canon books, but other than that, everything else is the same.**

**I didn't want this chapter to be too long, so the Gathering will take place in the next chapter, which I'll have posted as soon as I can. Also, this was the last edit-chapter; the next chapter will be the first real new chapter. :)**

**Also... Maybe it's because I've posted all of these chapters within 3 days, but I really haven't gotten many reviews yet. I love writing this story, but it would be great to get some feedback. :P **

**So, please don't forget to review! :)**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Yarrowpaw's pelt continued to bristle. Privately, she was glad that she and Swiftclaw were the only ones left to cross - nobody else had ever seen the way she panicked at the possibility of drowning.

Swiftclaw blinked sympathetically at her. "I _promise_," he meowed, "you're not going to fall into the water; even if I see you slip, I'll be there in a second to catch you. You just need to keep your claws out to keep a good grip on the log."

Although comforted by his words, Yarrowpaw was still struggling against her fear. "I don't know..."

"Yarrowpaw." She glanced over at him to meet his gaze. "Trust me - you'll be okay. You're going to have fun and meet lots of new cats tonight. Your Clanmates are waiting for you."

She nodded. "Okay," she breathed. After a moment's hesitation, she leaned back and tensed her muscles before pushing off her paws and leaping onto the large log.

The tree-bridge was slippery, although not as much as she'd expected; all the same, she felt better after unsheathing her claws to get a solid grip on it. Heart pounding, she forced herself not to look down as she padded forward, cautiously crossing the log. The full moon was shining brightly overhead, the sky a deep blue-black as she kept her gaze pointed directly forward. It was only half a minute before she could see her Clanmates waiting just up ahead, some watching her, most chatting amongst themselves. Relief washed over her as she reached the end of the tree-bridge; her legs shaking slightly, she hesitated for a moment at the end of the log before leaning down and leaping off it, landing back onto solid ground.

Frostpaw was right there, waiting for her.

"See? It's really not that hard," Frostpaw mewed to her as she safely landed.

"Yeah, it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be," Yarrowpaw replied.

Ivypaw, who had been standing next to Frostpaw, came over and brushed her pelt against her sister's comfortingly; Frostpaw hadn't caught it, but Ivypaw could see that Yarrowpaw's paws were still shaking slightly. Gratefully, Yarrowpaw leaned into her sister's touch - true, it wasn't as bad as she had thought, but water still scared her, apparently more than it scared most cats. She wasn't sure why; it just did.

Less than a minute later, Swiftclaw leaped down from the tree-bridge.

"Is there anybody else?" Fallowstar called to the black-and-ginger tom.

The warrior shook his head. "No."

"Okay, then; let's go!" the leader of WindClan called to the rest of the group.

Yarrowpaw had quickly recovered - now, her paws weren't shaking with fear, but itching with excitement as the group was led forward at an easy trot. Ivypaw and Frostpaw were at her side, with Hailpaw and Snowpaw nearby, and Swiftclaw behind the apprentices, bringing up the rear of the group. They were at the edge of the island, where the trees surrounding them were thick, preventing them from seeing much in the darkness; however, after they had padded forward about five tree-lengths, there was a sudden break in the trees, and WindClan entered the moonlit clearing.

Yarrowpaw breathed in at the sight of all the unfamiliar cats before her, although there weren't as many as she'd expected. With her breath, she caught their scent - a pleasant pine smell. It took her a moment before she identified the cats as being ShadowClan.

Even as she scented them, Frostpaw said, "That's ShadowClan - RiverClan and ThunderClan aren't here yet."

The WindClan cats were already beginning to mingle with the ShadowClan cats; friends called each others names, acquaintances greeted each other, and the two groups quickly became mixed. For once, it had been moons since there had been any hostility between any of the Clans - due to the peace, almost everybody was friendly with each other, or at least polite.

Yarrowpaw felt slightly uneasy, despite the positive atmosphere of the meeting. What was she supposed to do, just go up to some random ShadowClan cat and say hi?

However, the problem was quickly solved for her as Frostpaw trotted forward a few steps and meowed, "Moonpaw!"

A silver she-cat bounded forward to greet Frostpaw, and the two apprentices touched noses. "Hi, Frostpaw," Moonpaw mewed, her tone open and friendly. "I'm glad you could make it."

"You too," Frostpaw purred. Glancing back at Snowpaw and the three siblings behind her, she said, "This is Hailpaw, Ivypaw, and Yarrowpaw; this is their first Gathering. And I think you've already met Snowpaw."

"Yeah, I have; hi, Snowpaw." The white tom responded with a nod. "And it's nice to meet you three," Moonpaw mewed. "When were you made into apprentices?"

"A couple days ago," Hailpaw told her.

Feeling a bit more comfortable now, Yarrowpaw asked the ShadowClan apprentice, "How long have you been training?"

"About two moons now," the silver she-cat replied. "This is only my second Gathering; I'm ShadowClan's youngest apprentice."

Joining in on the conversation, Snowpaw meowed to the ShadowClan apprentice, "I was the youngest, too, before these three came along."

Now, Yarrowpaw could see two unfamiliar cats approaching their small group from behind Moonpaw; one was a tom, and the other was a she-cat.

"Hi," the tom meowed as he and the she-cat at his side came to a stop beside Moonpaw. "I'm Scarpaw, and this is Shadepaw - we're from ShadowClan." The tom had a dark ginger pelt, and unusual markings: the most noticeable was a black stripe on his face that looked like a scar, as if somebody had slashed him across his entire face. The rest of his pelt was all dark ginger except for two more markings: two thick black stripes that each ran along the lengths of his broad shoulder blades.

_What an unusual place for stripes, on his shoulders,_ Yarrowpaw couldn't help but think. _Or is it common for cats from the other Clans to have stripes like that?_

"Nice to meet you," Shadepaw mewed after Scarpaw said her name. She was pretty, with a pure black pelt and one white paw.

"You too," Yarrowpaw mewed. Hailpaw, Ivypaw, and Snowpaw also greeted the she-cat.

Just then, more cats entered the clearing; Yarrowpaw parted her jaws to take in their scent, and realized that it was completely unfamiliar to her. Were they - ?

"ThunderClan," Snowpaw meowed. The apprentice's eyes were suddenly eager. "I wonder if Lilyspots is here?" he said, more to himself than to anyone else. The other apprentices watched as the white tom padded forward a few steps to get a better look at the ThunderClan cats; after searching for a moment, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he called out, "Hi, Lilyspots!"

Yarrowpaw could see a she-cat among the group lift her head and meet the white apprentice's gaze, smiling when she saw him. She was young, and very pretty, her pelt brown with splashes of white, and her eyes leaf-green. "Hi, Snowpaw," she called back, her voice open and friendly.

With a grin on his face, Snowpaw turned away; he had a strange look in his eyes that Yarrowpaw didn't recognize. Turned away, the white tom didn't see the glare that was thrown at him from a pure black tom padding closely behind Lilyspots.

Frostpaw was the first to speak; raising an eyebrow at her fellow apprentice, she playfully nudged him. "Moony, much?" she teased.

Shaking his head as if to clear it, Snowpaw met the silver she-cat's gaze for a moment, then dropped it. "A bit," he admitted.

"But that's forbidden," Hailpaw meowed, sounding surprised.

Snowpaw rolled his eyes. "It's not like I would actually want to be her mate - maybe I would if she was in my Clan, but she's not. I'm loyal to WindClan." His gaze suddenly softened. "But she's so pretty and nice."

"And she's twice as old as you," an unfamiliar voice suddenly said. Yarrowpaw turned to see two young she-cats padding up to the group, one light black, the other gray-and-white; they both smelled of ThunderClan. It was the gray-and-white one, the younger-looking one, who had spoken.

Without missing a beat, the black one added, "Not to mention that her mate, Blackfrost, snarls at any tom that comes within ten tail-lengths of her."

Ivypaw's voice was sharp as she interrupted, "And who are you, exactly?"

The black she-cat blinked, catching on to Ivypaw's tone. "Oh. Sorry for just jumping into the conversation like that - this one here has a tendency of doing that." The gray-and-white she-cat at her side lightly glared at her. "I'm Ravenpaw, and this is Stormypaw - we're the only two apprentices in ThunderClan."

"The only two?" Hailpaw echoed in surprise. "We have eight in WindClan!"

"Two apprentices is actually good, compared to RiverClan," Scarpaw jumped in. "They only have _one_ right now - Rainpaw. I've talked to her before; she's a nice cat, but I feel sorry for her. She doesn't like being alone in the apprentice den."

"Well, I wouldn't like it, either," Moonpaw mewed. Several of the other apprentices agreed as well.

Just as the she-cat spoke, more cats began to enter the clearing, bringing with them a scent that was unmistakable. "Speaking of RiverClan," Stormypaw mewed, nose slightly wrinkled, nodding her head toward the new cats.

With the arrival of RiverClan, the clearing was now packed. It amazed Yarrowpaw to see just how many unfamiliar cats had been living so close to WindClan all this time, yet she had never seen any of them, or been aware just how many there were - and this wasn't even all of them!

Yarrowpaw thought that there would be time to talk to Rainpaw, too, but apparently not; just then, a feminine voice rang out, "The Gathering has begun!"

The group of apprentices dispersed, going over to join their own Clans; not entirely sure what was going on, Yarrowpaw simply followed Frostpaw and Snowpaw, alongside Ivypaw and Hailpaw. When they reached the area where WindClan sat between RiverClan and ShadowClan, she noticed that all the cats had their attention pointed in one direction; looking forward as she sat between her siblings, she saw the stump of an old oak tree, upon which four cats sat.

All four of the cats appeared relaxed, fur smooth. The first one was a she-cat. She had a beautiful dark black coat, with gray tabby stripes; her tail was fluffier than the rest of her fur, and her eyes were a deep blue. Beside her sat Fallowstar, his brown fur looking particularly pale next to the she-cat's, his yellow eyes calm. Next to him sat a larger tom. This tom's fur was a brilliant pure white, his eyes a golden yellow. And the last cat was another she-cat - she was a dark brown tabby, her fur patched with white; this reminded Yarrowpaw of Swiftclaw, and the way his black fur was patched with ginger. The she-cat's eyes were a sparkling dark green.

The first she-cat, the black-and-gray one, stepped forward.

"That's Fadedstar," Snowpaw whispered back at Yarrowpaw, Ivypaw, and Hailpaw.

"Things are going well in ThunderClan," Fadedstar announced. "The prey is running, and our kits and elders are healthy. We did have a problem with a dog entering our territory a few days ago, but Blackfrost and Hawk-eye chased it away before it could do much harm." Glancing over at the ThunderClan cats, Yarrowpaw noticed two toms - one black, one brown tabby - lifting their heads proudly. Murmurs of approval ran through ThunderClan. "Other than that, ThunderClan has nothing else to report."

As Fadedstar stepped back, Fallowstar stepped forward. "WindClan is also doing well," the tom stated. "The rabbits are running, and our cats are all free of sickness. We also have three new apprentices - Hailpaw, Ivypaw, and Yarrowpaw."

Embarrassed, Yarrowpaw ducked her head slightly when all eyes turned to her and her siblings; however, Hailpaw lifted his head proudly, while Ivypaw stayed the way she was, although she did straighten up slightly. Cheers rose through all the Clans, welcoming the new apprentices: "Hailpaw, Ivypaw, Yarrowpaw! Hailpaw, Ivypaw, Yarrowpaw!"

When the cheering died down, Fallowstar concluded, "WindClan has nothing else to report." Glancing back at the white tom that had sat beside him, he meowed, "Whitestar?"

The white tom, whose name was apparently Whitestar, stepped forward as Fallowstar stepped back. His voice was deep as he spoke: "All is well in RiverClan. The fish are plentiful, and though our kit Sweetkit was sick with greencough half a moon ago, she has now recovered thanks to Hawkstream and Tawnyleaf." All eyes turned to a tom and a she-cat sitting among the RiverClan cats. The tom's fur was interesting: it was dark brown tabby, but it was also splashed with white and gold. The she-cat, noticeably younger, was a tortoiseshell, with amber eyes; both looked calm as their Clanmates murmured appreciatively. After a short pause, Whitestar concluded, "Other than that, RiverClan has nothing to report."

The last leader, the brown-and-white she-cat, stepped forward as Whitestar stepped back.

From behind, Yarrowpaw heard a familiar voice meow, "That's Pinestar." Glancing back, she caught Swiftclaw's eye; he grinned at her before looking back toward the oak stump where the leaders stood.

Redirecting her attention to the leaders as well, she watched as Pinestar began to speak. "Things in ShadowClan are going well, too. There has been plenty of prey to go around, and all our cats remain healthy. Our warriors have noticed some scent of dog nearby, but none have gotten close enough to cause any problems. Other than that, ShadowClan has nothing more to report."

Pinestar stepped back, and then the leaders stepped down from the stump, announcements now over.

Light chattering broke out among the Clans; Yarrowpaw hoped that there would be more time to mingle, but then noticed that everybody was beginning to leave already. As she glanced around, Scarpaw caught her eye and grinned at her as ShadowClan began to trot away into the trees. _He really seems too nice to be friends with Lightningpaw_, she thought absentmindedly. A small yawn rippled through her; only then did she feel the exhaustion from earlier tugging at her paws once again, stronger this time.

"Tired?" Mossflower came to trot beside her and her siblings as WindClan began to back toward the tree-bridge. Yarrowpaw nodded. "Don't worry, we'll be home soon," her mother assured her.

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**A/N: Sorry it's taken so long to update. High school is crazy. I love it. :)**

**Anyway, reviews are greatly appreciated. I will update again as soon as possible. **


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